The Accidental Courage of Our Lives

Victoria Melekian's poetry collection, The Accidental Courage of Our Lives, is rooted in everyday life: go to work, set the table, sweep the floor. She writes about the joys and struggles of family, the bumps and prickly parts, the illness and sorrow, but she also reminds us there are gorgeous surprises. We see a nest of baby finches on the front porch, but know there could be a cat lurking nearby. Ordinary isn't always easy, and hope can be hard to hold onto, but sometimes we humans stumble into days that bloom, and sometimes we're smart enough to notice. These poems capture the tangled, mossy mess of being alive.